“We do not look at the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” – II Corinthians 4.18

Every day when we look around us, we can see things that are contrary to what we would desire. Whether it’s the condition of the world at large, or circumstances in our personal life – we all, at some time or another, face things we wish could be different. More often than not, those things can seem beyond all hope of change. Sadly, many people simply give up on what they desire and just condition themselves to settle for whatever comes.

Such a state of existence is not God’s desire for the life of any of His children. We do not have to cope with whatever is dealt to us in our life. No matter how un-changeable a situation may seem, it can be different if we are willing to take hold of the unseen.

It is easy to get so bogged down with the way things are at present that we do not even realize that something beyond the life we see is within our reach. Oh, we may be frustrated or dismayed by how things are, but are we aware that things can be different? Is there a picture within us of a life beyond what we see now?

We know that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1.37). He can change the things that look impossible to change. What is not often enough realized is that we can change things that look impossible – through God’s power at work within us.

FOCUS ON THE ETERNALGod created our re-born spirit with the ability to see what is unseen in the natural realm, and to take hold of those things which are unseen and pull them into the natural physical realm in which we live.

No circumstances that we face are permanent. It does not matter how bleak or ominous a situation looks, it can be completely changed. The key is to not focus on the circumstances: what is seen – but to focus on the unseen: the eternal promises of God.

II Corinthians 4.16-18 reveals: “Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever – if we look not at the seen, but at the unseen; for the seen is temporary, but the unseen is eternal” (MSG/ NLT/ Weymouth).

What we see and experience in this natural realm is temporary. It is subject to change. Conversely, the promises of God, which are unseen and invisible, are permanent, eternal, and changeless.

We know that things will be different when we get to heaven and when God brings an end to the earth as we now know it. But we do not have to wait for the life hereafter to experience the manifestation of what is unseen.

GRASPING THE INVISIBLEThe things that are seen don’t last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. This is why we should keep our minds on the things that are not seen.

Romans 8.24-25 tells us, “Hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly await for with perseverance.”

Hope is a picture within us of something that is not yet manifested in the physical realm. Hope is more than a wish. Wishes are fleeting and can easily be given up. Real hope, which is a virtue from the Spirit of God, is a strong force. Hope is earnest expectation for something to come to pass that has not yet been revealed in tangible form. Hope keeps on waiting for something to be manifested and perseveres even when long periods of time have passed.

Of this hope, Romans 4.18-21 says, “God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations. Abraham’s faith never became weak, not even when he was nearly 100 years old. He knew he was almost dead and his wife could not have children. But Abraham never doubted or questioned God’s promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God. Abraham was absolutely certain that whatever God had promised He could also carry out.” (CEV/ Weymouth)

When time had long passed for Abraham and his wife to produce children, he never gave up hope in God’s promise. Because his faith in God’s promise was unwavering, he received the manifestation of what had been promised.

Hope does not set its sights only on what is possible. Most often, hope reaches for the impossible. Yet, as we have already seen, with God nothing is ever impossible, and no word from God is without power or impossible of fulfillment (Luke 1.37 AMP). The power to bring to pass what we hope for lies in our faith – our trust in God.

CREATING THE IMPOSSIBLEFaith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see. Just because something cannot be seen does not prove that it does not exist. Through the creative power God placed within our spirit, when we release hope based upon God’s Word, what we desire does indeed exist – even if it did not exist previously. And it is faith that brings the tangible substance to what we have hoped.

Hebrews 11.1 explains, “What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of the things we cannot see” (NLT).

Hope lays hold of what is in the unseen realm. And faith is the creative force that brings what is in the unseen realm into manifestation in the seen, physical realm.

There may be a disease in your body which is deteriorating the cell tissues. That is the seen realm. However, the Word of God says that Jesus has borne our sicknesses and carried our diseases, and by His stripes we have been healed (Isaiah 53.4-5) – that is the unseen realm.The disease, or the seen realm, is temporary. But the healing and restoration provided by Jesus, or the unseen realm, is eternal.

If you begin to focus on God’s promise of healing and develop earnest expectation for your body to be made completely whole, then the unseen reality of your healing will change the seen condition of your body.

It is the same way in the realm of finances, or relationships, or in whatever area you may be encountering difficulty. For the seen realm of lack, God has an unseen promise of abundance. For the seen realm of strife and trouble in relationships, God has an unseen promise of unity, peace, and reconciliation. For the seen realm of discouragement and despair, God has an unseen promise of hope, victory, and restoration.

We must make the choice whether we will focus on what we see going on around us, or whether we will raise our sight beyond the seen realm and take a firm grasp on what is unseen.

All our problems won’t necessarily vanish overnight. Yet, the more we learn to see into the unseen, the more we will experience the higher life of victory that is beyond the natural, seen realm.

As long as the earth endures, battles will wage on. Whether we will experience defeat or triumph ultimately depends on what we know and where we have placed our focus. Jesus has already fought the Battle and conquered every struggle that will ever confront us. It is our move now.

Let us take a firm grasp on what is invisible and, by faith in God, seize the impossible.

Let us no longer live only by what we see in this earthly realm… Let us endeavour to See the Unseen.